The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-01
OF HIS REVOLVING AND BRUTAL
CRIME.
He Details the Manner In Which the
Body Was Cut, the Bones
Sawed
AND THE HEAD CARRIED TO THE
RIVER
And Thrown Into It-He Asserts
That it Was All Done in
Self Defense.


trunk shipped to Baltimore, has made
full confession of the killing. UDger
was arrested on Thursday last and
after being a short time locked in his
cell he was brought before Inspector
Byrnes. In the rom was a table on
which had been placed the hammer
with which Rohle was killed, the
knife and saw used to cut up the
body, and the rubber cloth in which
the body was wrapped after the kill
ing. The chair upon which Unger
seated himself was so arranged that
he could see little else in the room
save the bloody weapons. He was
asked if he wished to say anything.
He shook his head, but suddenly said /:
"Bohle has gone to Chicago and will
turn up in a few days." The inspector
was sitting at the table. He had the
bloody hammer in his hand, and care
lessly asked Unger what he meant by
that. Bat UDger would say nothing
further then. The sight of the instru-
ments on the table seemed not to
affect him, and the chief of detectives
deemed the man stubborn. Inspector
Byrnes concluded to say no more to
him at the time but to confront him
soon and at intervals with people
he knew, and also to confront
him frequently with evidences Of the
killing. Mrs. Siegel, wife of the
Brooklyn sausage maker, was brought
to identity Unger. He was much sur
prised to see her, but was not Above 1
to talk. On Friday he was identified
by Mrs. Bense, the Brooklyn saloon
keepers wife, whose husband stored
the trunk for Unger while the latter
sought an expressmaD. Every time
Unger left his cell he was confronted
with some evidence Of the crime of
which he was believed to be the au-
thor. A detective watched constantly
at the door of the cell in which Unger
was confined, but under strict orders
not to respond if the prisoner attempt
ed conversation, which he did at times.
Being brought many tine, before In
spector Byrnes and his own acqu amt
ances without being allowed to talk, at
length rendered Unger irritable and
nervous. Friday afternoon Byrnes
took the hammer, saw, knife and rub
Der cloth to Ungsr's cell and asked if
he had not seen them before, in man
ner as though Unger had not been
half a dozen times confronted with
them. Unger was aitled, but said
tokens. Then he was taken to court
and remanded, and on the way back
remarked to Inspector Byrnes: "You
are trying to hang me"
The trunk with the body arrived
from Baltimore yesterday. The body
was sent to the morgue. That night
Byrnes went to Unger's cell and asked
him how he felt. pretty WELL" said
he, huskily. Then the Inspector I'M
locked the cell door and Detective
Hickey called Unger into the corridor,
when the lights were turned low. The
prisoner stepped forth, but did not see
the Inspector until the latter called
him by name. AS he turned he saw
Byrnes standing by and pointing to
the trunk which had held Bohle's
dead body. Unger staggered at the
sight and tottsred toward his CELL
Byrnes then took from the trunk a
piece of the murdered mans coat,
which had been used to wrap the
body, and holding it before the pris-
oner's eyes asked him where the rest
of Bodies coat was. Unger shuddered
at sight OF the blood stiffened garment
and clssping his hands over his eyes
was about to fall when Detective
Hickey caught him and seated him
upon a couch in the corridor. He sat
down upon it, and removing his hands
glanced about him. Suddenly, and
with a startled groan, he sprang to his
feet and asked if he could change his
seat, taking a preferred chair. The
sofa on which he had been
seated vas the one found in
Ungsr's room after his arrest. Un-
gers face became deadly pale and when
assisted to his cell he was almost in a
faiuting condition. Inspector ByTnes
then told Unger he would be near at
hand when he was ready to talk, and
when the Inspector returned from
supper Unger had asked to see him.
Again Unger was brought to Byrnes's
room, where all the bloody tokens
confronted him. II want to tell the
whole truth about the matter" he
said to the Chief. He then told this
story, which was taken in writing: 81
live at No. 20 Ridge street. / have
known August Bohle since November,
1885. l first met him at my saloon,
No. "a Eldridge street, where he
called iu answer to an advertisement
which had put in the Stats Zeitung
for q partner. We could not sgree
upon terms, and l subsequently gave
up the business at that number. /
went to live at No. % Ridge street. A
short time afterward August came to
live with me, the arrangement being
that he was to pay me half the rent,
which was 81 80 per month, and one
third the household expenses. On
the night Of January 20, 1887, after
supper, my son Edward left the house,
leaving Bohle and myself In the
rooms. We remained talking and
reading until about $3.50 o'clock.
Bohle was a very powerful man and
was swearing about his hard luck. He
called me D.. / told him wa
no d, and put out my hand to
shove him away. He then struck me OF
the neck with his fist and knocked
me down. sprung to my feet and
attempted to strike him with poker
which bad in my hand. Bohle
grabbed the poker from my hand and
at the same time he seized knife
from the table and ran after me.
ran into the bedroom. He followed
me. He made another lupgs at me
with the knife and 1 warded it of, re-
ceiving a slight cut in the hand.
then struck him with the hammer
He staggered and followed him uT
and struck him again with the ham
mer, the hammer sinking into the
skull as far as the handle. He stag
gered and fell back on the sofa, dead
This occurred about 10 o'clock pm
Expecting my son home every mo
ment, and to avoid my son seeing
what had happened, l took the body
from the sofa and put it on the hool
close by the wall. then took Bodies
sleeping cot and placed it on its side
before him and leaning against the
wall, covering the ends with somt
clothes. My son soon came home snC
we went to bed together in the bed